"We Can’t See It Destroyed In Front Of Us And Do Nothing"

I hope it’s fair to say I’ve earned my stripes as an Orient fan to talk about the club academically after two decades of slugging it out in football’s basement including three unsuccessful trips to Wembley, while my mates were enjoying the glamour of Premier League football. I didn’t think my fan experience could get worse after my first play-off final heartbreak in 2014 (aged 9), but a certain dodgy Italian had other ideas - although if there is one thing I can thank Becchetti for, it would be showing me the power of supporter voice, which in many ways inspired my dissertation.

Growing up as an Orient fan you don’t see much about your team in the mainstream media, so I naturally gravitated towards fanzines for updates, and the Orientear was one I’d frequently pick up once my dad had finished reading. Looking back, I realise that the football itself was never the sole focus, and it’s important to recognise the work that independent fanzines have put in to enable fans to reclaim their voice and reshape their reputation, especially since the damage done by Hillsborough. My dissertation spotlights how the Orientear has foregrounded community, collective identity, and social action over the last four decades, combatting issues like over-policing, commercialisation and questionable owners along the way. It also emphasises the enduring theme of activism within these publications, highlighting that long before the freedom for fans to speak out was granted by social media, fanzines had been there and done that. Despite the common perception that fanzines are dying out, their adaptation to digital formats shows they are still alive and kicking, and their continued ethos of putting fans first will continue to direct football discourse for years to come. Forty years have passed since the first ever issue of the Orientear, and if my work proves anything, it’s that supporter voice rightfully remains at the forefront of football discourse, just as those who started the magazine back in 1986 intended. If that brief summary doesn’t entice you to read the full thing, perhaps a few notable namedrops such as Dean Cox or Idris El-Mizouni will.

Whoever marked my dissertation seemed to agree that what I had to say was worthwhile, and graded it a First at 76%, proving that writing about something you love (most of the time) actually works. Maybe my next one will be about Jamie Donley’s halfway line goal against Man City. If you do want to read the full thing, send me an email I’ll happily share it. Eight thousand words may seem like a slog but if you’ve sat through 90 minutes of any Orient game this season I reckon you’ll cope.

Seth can be reached at: sethgkendall28@gmail.com